Transportation service providers typically enforce strict rules regarding baggage utilized in accompanying travel. Notably, in the airline industry, commercial airlines maintain regulations regarding the weight of each piece of luggage requiring transport. Any baggage that exceeds the provider-defined weight threshold is typically charged an additional fee that is commensurate with its measured weight.
Accordingly, in preparation of travel, passengers often weigh luggage in need of transport prior to check-in to ensure compliance with transportation service provider baggage restrictions. Often, handheld weight measurement devices, which are commonly referred to in the art as luggage scales, are used by travelers to weigh luggage. As can be appreciated, the relatively small size afforded by such a scale renders it portable and therefore usable at various stages throughout the travel itinerary.
One type of luggage scale, known in the art as a hanging luggage scale, includes a handle from which is suspended a connective element, or tether, consisting of a hook, strap or some combination thereof. In use, the tether is coupled to the luggage, for example, by wrapping an elongated strap around the luggage handle and, in turn, securing the strap into a closed loop configuration with complementary fasteners. The user then grasps the handle and lifts the luggage off the floor surface. The weight of the suspended luggage is measured by a sensor internally-housed within the handle in communication with the connective element. After a designated suspension period, the calculated weight is shown on a display provided in the handle. An example of a hanging luggage scale is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,732,719 to B. L. Schants, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Although well-known and widely used in the art, hanging luggage scales of the type referenced above have been found to suffer from a few notable shortcomings.
As a first shortcoming, hanging luggage scales of the type described above require a significant level of manual dexterity and strength during routine use. Namely, the process of coupling, and subsequently decoupling, the connective element to the handle of each piece of luggage in need of weighing is rather tedious. Furthermore, due to the length of the tether, the handle typically needs to be lifted substantially high above the floor surface (e.g., approximately 4-5 feet above the floor surface). Because packed luggage is often relatively heavy, it has been found that certain travelers often lack the strength to lift the scale handle at an adequate level above the floor surface for the requisite period to collect an accurate measurement.
As a second shortcoming, hanging luggage scales of the type described above are not typically provided with means for storing weight measurements. Rather, travelers customarily rely on memory to differentiate between measurements taken across multiple pieces of luggage. Because each piece of luggage is frequently repacked or otherwise readjusted during the course of travel, thereby affecting its weight, the traveler is often unaware whether the baggage has remained in compliance with weight restrictions.
As a third shortcoming, weight measurements taken using hanging luggage scales of the type described above are used solely by the traveler and not by the transportation service provider. Instead, at check-in, the service provider engages in a completely independent luggage inspection and weight measurement process. This disconnect of information between the traveler and the transportation service provider contributes to a highly inefficient and time-consuming travel process. Furthermore, because baggage weight data is only compiled moments before travel, transportation service providers are not typically afforded with adequate time to make suitable accommodations for atypical loads. Among other things, this lack of preparation creates certain inefficiencies, for instance, with respect to fuel requirements.